Aircraft in-flight entertainment system having a dual-beam antenna and associated methods

ABSTRACT

An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for an aircraft includes a radome to be carried by the aircraft, and a dual-beam satellite antenna and at least one positioner coupled thereto to be carried by the aircraft and protected by the radome. The dual-beam satellite antenna is to generate dual antenna beams for television programming and Internet data from respective spaced apart satellites. The dual-beam satellite antenna includes a first aperture for receiving the television programming, and a second aperture adjacent the first aperture for receiving the Internet data. A television programming distribution system is to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to the dual-beam satellite antenna to provide television programming within the aircraft. At least one access point is to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to the dual-beam satellite antenna to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) within the aircraft for the Internet data.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/047,349 filed Mar. 13, 2008, the entire contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference; and this application claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/980,298 filed Oct.16, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of aircraft systems, and moreparticularly, to an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system havinga dual-beam antenna for satellite communications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Commercial aircraft carry millions of passengers each year. Forrelatively long international flights, wide-body aircraft are typicallyused. These wide-body aircraft include multiple passenger aisles and areconsiderably larger and have considerably more space than typicalso-called narrow-body aircraft. Narrow-body aircraft carry fewerpassengers shorter distances, and include only a single aisle forpassenger loading and unloading. Accordingly, the available space forancillary equipment is somewhat limited on a narrow-body aircraft.

Wide-body aircraft may include full audio-on-demand and video-on-demandin-flight entertainment systems for passenger enjoyment duringrelatively long flights. Typical wide-body aircraft in-flightentertainment systems may include cabin displays, or individual seatbackdisplays. Movies or other stored video programming is selectable by thepassenger, and payment is typically made via a credit card reader at theseat. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,484 to Margis discloses apassenger in-flight entertainment system with an integratedtelecommunications system. A magnetic stripe credit card reader isprovided at the telephone handset and processing to approve the creditcard is performed by a cabin telecommunications unit.

In addition to prerecorded video entertainment, other systems have beendisclosed including a satellite receiver for live television broadcasts,such as disclosed in French Patent No. 2,652,701 and U.S. Pat. No.5,790,175 to Sklar at al. The Sklar at al. patent also discloses such asystem including an antenna and its associated steering control forreceiving both RHCP and LHCP signals from direct broadcast satellite(DBS) services. The video signals for the various channels are thenrouted to a conventional video and audio distribution system on theaircraft which distributes live television programming to thepassengers.

In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,751 also to Sklar at al. addresses theproblem of an aircraft being outside of the range of satellites, bystoring the programming for delayed playback, and additionally disclosestwo embodiments: a full system for each passenger and a single channelsystem for the overhead monitors for a group of passengers. The patentalso discloses steering the antenna so that it is locked onto RF signalstransmitted by the satellite. The antenna steering may be based upon theaircraft navigation system or a GPS receiver along with inertialreference signals.

Current aircraft in-flight entertainment systems may also providetelevision programming and Internet data. Such systems may include ashared satellite antenna for receiving the television programming andthe Internet data, headend electronic equipment at a central location inthe aircraft, a cable distribution network extending throughout thepassenger cabin, and electronic demodulator and distribution modulesspaced within the cabin for different groups of seats. Many systemsrequire signal attenuators or amplifiers at predetermined distancesalong the cable distribution network. In addition, each passenger seatmay include an armrest control and seatback display. In other words,such systems may be relatively heavy and consume valuable space on theaircraft.

Space and weight are especially difficult constraints for a narrow-bodyaircraft. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,741,841 and 7,321,383 both disclose anaircraft in-flight entertainment system providing television programmingand Internet data using a shared satellite antenna. The satelliteantenna may be a multi-beam or dish antenna, for example. However, thesepatents fail to disclose the specifics of implementing a multi-beamphased array antenna operating as part of an in-flight entertainmentsystem for simultaneously receiving television programming and Internetdata.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing background, an object of the present inventionis to provide an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system having adual-beam antenna for receiving television programming and Internetdata.

This and other objects, advantages and features in accordance with thepresent invention are provided by an in-flight entertainment (IFE)system comprising a radome to be carried by the aircraft, and adual-beam satellite antenna and at least one positioner coupled theretoto be carried by the aircraft and protected by the radome. The dual-beamsatellite antenna may generate dual antenna beams for televisionprogramming and Internet data from respective spaced apart satellites.The dual-beam satellite antenna may comprise a first aperture forreceiving the television programming, and a second aperture adjacent thefirst aperture for receiving the Internet data. A television programmingdistribution system may be carried by the aircraft and coupled to thedual-beam satellite antenna to provide television programming within theaircraft. At least one access point may be carried by the aircraft andcoupled to the dual-beam satellite antenna to provide a wireless localarea network (WLAN) within the aircraft for the Internet data. The firstaperture may comprise a first phased array, and the second aperture maycomprise a second phased array.

The at least one positioner may comprise a first positioner to positionthe first aperture toward one of the spaced apart satellites, and asecond positioner to position the second aperture toward the other oneof the spaced apart satellites. A controller may be coupled to thepositioners.

The dual-beam satellite antenna may simultaneously generate the dualantenna beams, with each antenna beam having a respective antenna beamboresight. The dual-beam satellite antenna may also be configured totransmit to the satellite providing the Internet data.

The first and second apertures may have an antenna beam offset betweentheir respective antenna beams. The at least one positioner may comprisea common positioner for positioning both the first and second aperturesat a same time while maintaining the antenna beam offset. The IFE systemmay further comprise an offset controller to be carried by the aircraftand coupled to the first and second apertures for adjusting the antennabeam offset.

The first and second apertures may each have different orthogonalpolarizations associated therewith. The first aperture may provide twoorthogonal polarizations toward one of the satellites, and the secondaperture may provide two different orthogonal polarizations toward theother satellite. The IFE system may further comprise at least onepolarization correction module to adjust at least one of thepolarizations based upon aircraft position. More particularly, the firstaperture may provide orthogonal polarizations toward one of thesatellites and the second aperture may provide different orthogonalpolarizations toward the other satellite. The aircraft IFE system mayfurther comprise a first polarization correction module associated withthe first aperture for adjusting the corresponding polarizations basedupon aircraft position, and a second polarization correction moduleassociated with the second aperture for adjusting the correspondingpolarizations based upon aircraft position.

The first aperture may be configured to operate within a frequency rangeof 12 to 18 GHz, and the second aperture may be configured to operatewithin a frequency range of 20 to 30 GHz. The television programmingdistribution system may comprise cabling extending throughout theaircraft, and at least one video display coupled to the cabling fordisplaying the television programming. The at least one access point maycommunicate with personal electronic devices (PEDs) within the aircraft.The at least one access point may comprise a pico-cell, and the WLAN maycomprise at least one of an 802.11 WLAN and an 802.16 WLAN.

Another aspect is directed to a method for operating an aircraftin-flight entertainment (IFE) system for an aircraft and comprising aradome to be carried by the aircraft, a dual-beam satellite antenna tobe protected by the radome, at least one positioner to be carried by theaircraft and coupled to the dual-band satellite antenna, a televisionprogramming distribution system to be carried by the aircraft andcoupled to the dual-beam satellite antenna to provide televisionprogramming within the aircraft, and at least one access point to becarried by the aircraft and coupled to the dual-beam satellite antennato provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) within the aircraft. Themethod comprises controlling the at least one positioner so that thedual-beam satellite antenna generates dual antenna beams for televisionprogramming and Internet data from respective spaced apart satellites.The dual-beam satellite antenna may comprise a first aperture forreceiving the television programming, and a second aperture adjacent thefirst aperture for receiving the Internet data. The method may furthercomprise providing the television programming to aircraft passengers viathe television programming distribution system, and providing theInternet data to the aircraft passengers via the WLAN.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air-to-ground communications networkin accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the air-to-groundcommunications network with passenger carried equipment on the aircraftin accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the PED shown inFIG. 2 with the translator device integrated therein.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the air-to-ground communicationsnetwork in which predetermined web pages are transmitted over an airportdata link for storage on the aircraft in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a screen shot from a PED of an interactive map correspondingto the flight path of the aircraft in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a screen shot from a PED of an interactive map correspondingto the destination of the aircraft in which different informationcategories are displayed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the air-to-ground communicationsnetwork in which network selection controllers are used for selectingbetween satellite or air-to-ground communications in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the air-to-ground communicationsnetwork in which hard handoff controllers are used for handing off theaircraft between base stations in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the different content delivery channelsavailable for distribution to the aircraft passengers in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the aircraft illustrating thedifferent ranges in which data communications is received in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an aircraft in-flight entertainmentsystem operating with a satellite antenna in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are more detailed schematic block diagrams of anembodiment of the in-flight entertainment system as shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a schematic rear view of a seatgroup supporting the in-flightentertainment system as shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a more detailed schematic block diagram of a first embodimentof an antenna-related portion of the in-flight entertainment system asshown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 15 is a side elevational view of the antenna mounted on theaircraft of the in-flight entertainment system as shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 16 is a more detailed schematic block diagram of a secondembodiment of an antenna-related portion of the in-flight entertainmentsystem as shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of the overall components of an aircraftin-flight entertainment system including a multi-beam antenna forinterfacing with two different satellites in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 18 is a more detailed schematic block diagram of one embodiment ofan electrically steered multi-beam phased array antenna in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a schematic block diagram of the polarization correctionmodule as shown in FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the phased array antennain accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the phased arrayantenna in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a more detailed schematic block diagram of another embodimentof an electrically steered multi-beam phased array antenna in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram of a top plan view one embodiment of amechanically steered dual-beam antenna in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram of a side elevation view of the mechanicallysteered dual-beam antenna as shown in FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a block diagram of a top plan view of another embodiment ofthe mechanically steered dual-beam antenna as shown in FIG. 23.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used toindicate similar elements in alternative embodiments.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, an air-to-ground communications network100 will be discussed in which passengers within an aircraft 120 areable to communicate over an air-to-ground interface 200 using their ownpersonal electronic devices (PEDs) 130. PEDs 130 include personal mobilesmart phones or telephones (cellular and PCS), personal digitalassistants, wireless email devices, wireless equipped laptop computershaving Wi-Fi/WiMax capability, air cards, or WiFi equipped MP3 players,for example.

As will be discussed in greater detail below, the air-to-groundcommunications network 100 may be considered as a data-based network ascompared to a terrestrial voice-based network that also supports data. Adata-based network supports emails and text messaging without having tospecifically take into account the additional requirements (includinglatency) associated with traditional two-way, full duplex liveconversational voice. However, the air-to-ground communications network100 supports voice capability, as VoIP, and can send multimedia in theform of streaming video, multimedia web surfing, still pictures, music,etc. As a result, hard handoffs may be used between the ground-basedbase stations 140 as the aircraft 120 is in flight. Soft handoffs areoften used for voice-based networks, which negatively impacts the amountof frequency spectrum needed for a handoff.

The air-to-ground network 100 is not constrained to use air interfacesdeployed for terrestrial networks. An air interface that is not used forterrestrial networks may be used. The air-to-ground interface 200 isused to communicate with the ground-based base stations 140. Each basestation 140 illustratively interfaces with the public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN) 141 and an Internet service provider (ISP) 142 through aswitch 143 for providing email and text messaging services. The PSTN 141and the ISP 142 are illustrated for only one of the base stations 40.Alternatively, an Internet connection 42 could only be provided and nota PSTN connection 41.

In the United States, for example, there are approximately 100base-stations 140 positioned to directly support the air-to-groundcommunications network 100 disclosed herein. This is particularlyadvantageous since the frequency band of the air-to-ground interface 200is different than the frequency bands associated with cellular mobiletelecommunication systems. In the illustrated example of theair-to-ground communications network 100, the allocated frequencyspectrum of the air-to-ground interface 200 is based on a paired spacingof 851 MHz and 896 MHz, with 0.5 MHz available at each frequency.

In contrast, one portion of the radio spectrum currently used forterrestrial wireless communications companies is in the 824-849 MHz and869-894 MHz bands. PCS is a wireless communications network thatoperates at a radio frequency of 1.9 GHz. Internationally, otherfrequencies and bands have been allocated for licensed wirelesscommunications, but they do not operate using the paired spacing of 851MHz and 896 MHz.

In the illustrated embodiment, equipment has been installed on theaircraft 120 so that the aircraft appears as a hotspot or intranet tothe PEDs 130. Nodes or access points 160 are spaced throughout the cabinarea of the aircraft 120 providing 802.11 services (i.e., Wi-Fi) or802.16 services (i.e., WiMax), for example. In addition, access to thenetwork 100 could be through an on-board pico-cell in which the PEDs 130communicate therewith using cellular or PCS functions. A pico-cell isanalogous to a Wi-Fi or WiMax access point 160.

The access points 160 are illustratively connected to an on-board server162 and an air-to-ground transceiver 152. The server 162 includes a datamemory cache 155 and a data traffic controller 158. An air-to-groundantenna 154 is coupled to the air-to-ground transceiver 152. An optionalcontrol panel 164 is illustratively coupled to the server 162. The datamemory cache 155 is for storing common data accessible by the PEDs 130during flight of the aircraft 120, as well as caching web pages for webbrowsing by a PED 130. The data memory cache 155 also stores informationduring hard handoffs between base stations 140 as part of astore-and-forward capability. In addition to the cache memory 155scheme, the server 162 includes a memory supporting a pass-throughscheme, as readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The aircraft-based data traffic controller 158 is for selectivelyallocating data communications channel capacity between the PEDs 130 andthe ground-based base stations 140. Selectively allocating datacommunications channel capacity may also be alternatively oradditionally performed on the ground using a ground-based data trafficcontroller 148 coupled to the PSTN 141 and the ISP 142. The respectivecontrollers 148, 158 control the IP traffic that will be allowed overthe air-to-ground network 200.

The respective controllers 148, 158 thus operate as filters, which maybe static or dynamic. Their operation depends on whether the network 100is lightly loaded or heavily loaded. For example, an email (from theaircraft 120) with a very large attachment would be limited orrestricted by the aircraft-based data traffic controller 158, whereas anInternet request resulting in a large number of web pages being sent toa PED 130 (from a ground-based base station 140) would be limited by theground-based data traffic controller 148.

By selectively allocating the data communications channel capacity, agreater or maximum number of passengers on the aircraft 120 cancommunicate over the air-to-ground interface 200 using their own PEDs130. For a given PED 130, the aircraft-based data traffic controller 158may thus limit data communications from exceeding a predeterminedportion of the data communications channel capacity.

Allocation of the data communications channel capacity may be based on anumber of different factors or metrics. For example, the respective datatraffic controllers 148, 158 may allocate the data communicationschannel capacity based on a priority of service. For example, creditcard information used for on-board purchases/shopping could have ahigher priority over e-mail. The data communications may comprise flightoperational data and non-flight operational data. Certain types oftraffic may have priority over other types of traffic. Personnel havingPEDs 130 include passengers, as well as other individuals supportingoperation of the aircraft. Personnel with PEDs 130 supporting operationof the aircraft would be associated with flight operational data, andthis may be assigned a higher priority.

PEDs 130 that are cellular or PCS devices and are also Wi-Fi compatibleare known as dual-mode devices. One of the modes is cellularcommunications, with the other mode being Wi-Fi communications. Manylaptop, personal computers, and PDAs are Wi-Fi/WiMax compatible, whichare also classified herein as PEDs. After a connection is made to theon-board server 162 via Wi-Fi or WiMax, each PED 130 can transmit andreceive emails and text messages over the air-to-ground interface 200.

The dual-mode PEDs 130 carried by the passengers thus support multipleair interfaces, i.e., a terrestrial network and Wi-Fi or WiMax. Exampleterrestrial networks include any one of the following: 1) PCS, 2) theGSM family including EDGE, GPRS, HSDPA, HSDPA, and 3) the CDMA familyincluding IS-95, CDMA2000, 1xRTT, EVDO. The terrestrial network may alsooperate based on other network interfaces standards, as will be readilyappreciated by those skilled in the art. To reduce the cost of thedual-mode PEDs 130, a software radio may be used wherein the radio isconfigured to the air interface standard that is available. If more thanone air interface standard is available, different metrics may beevaluated to determine a preferred air interface.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, as an alternative to aircraft installedequipment, a respective translator device 50 may be used to interfacebetween each PED 30 and a ground-based base station 40 over theair-to-ground interface 20. The translator device 50 comprises anair-to-ground transceiver 52 with an air-to-ground antenna 54 coupledthereto.

In the illustrated embodiment, no additional equipment may need to beinstalled in the aircraft 12 since the translator devices 50 would bebrought on-board by the passengers. Each translator device 50 mayinterface with the PED 30 via a wired or wireless connection. Thewireless connection may be a Wi-Fi connection (802.11) or a WiMaxconnection (802.16), for example. The wired connection may be a USEinterface 55.

Alternatively, the translator device may be integrated directly into thePED 30′, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The PED 30′ would further include acontroller 56′ for selecting between the ground-based transceiver 58′ orthe air-to-ground transceiver 52′ associated with the translator. Aseparate antenna 59′ is coupled to the ground-based transceiver 58′.Instead of separate antennas 54′ and 59′, a shared antenna may be used.The controller 56′ may perform the selection automatically based on oneor more monitored metrics, or the selection may be based on input fromthe user.

Referring again to FIG. 1, another aspect of the illustrated embodimentis directed to a method for operating a communications system 100 for anaircraft 120 carrying at least some personnel having PEDs 130 forwireless data communications outside the aircraft with a ground-basedcommunications network. The communications system 100 includes an accesspoint 160 in the aircraft 120 for providing a WAN for datacommunications with the PEDs 130, and an air-to-ground transceiver 152in the aircraft 120 cooperating with the access point 160 for datacommunications with the ground-based communications network. The methodmay comprise selectively allocating data communications channel capacitybetween the PEDs 130 and the ground-based communications network usingat least one data traffic controller. The at least one data trafficcontroller may be an aircraft-based data traffic controller 158 and/or aground-based data traffic controller 148.

Referring now to FIG. 4, another aspect will be discussed with respectto the data memory cache 155 cooperating with the access point 160 forstoring common data accessible by the PEDs 130 during flight of theaircraft 120. The common data may be in the form of web pages in whichpassengers can browse via their PED 130.

One of the functions of the data memory cache 155 is for cachingpredetermined web pages to be browsed. Instead of the aircraft 120receiving the web pages while in-flight, the web pages are receivedwhile the aircraft is on the ground. Nonetheless, the web pages may bealternatively or additionally updated or refreshed while in flight. Asan alternative to the data memory cache 155, streaming video or audiocould be real time or stored as provided from a satellite, including viaa preexisting satellite based IFE system on the aircraft 120.

The stored web pages may be directed to a particular topic or theme,such as services and products. The services may also be directed toadvertisements, for example. A purchase acceptance controller 190cooperates with the WLAN to accept a purchase from the PEDs 130responsive to the common data related to the services and products.

For example, the web content may be directed to an electronic retailsupplier so that any one of the passengers on-board the aircraft 120 canshop for a variety of different items using their FED 130. Once apassenger selects an item for purchase, the transaction can be completedin real time while being airborne via the purchase acceptance controller190 communicating over the air-to-ground link 200. This form of on-boardshopping may also be referred to as air-commerce. Alternatively, thetransaction could be initiated on-board the aircraft 120 via thepurchase acceptance controller 190 but the actual purchase could beforwarded via the ground data link 174 once the aircraft 120 is on theground.

The data memory cache 155 may be configured to push the common datarelated to the services and products to the PEDs 130. Also, the datamemory cache 155 may permit the PEDs 130 to pull the common data relatedto the services and products therefrom.

In addition to products and services, the common data is directed tointeractive maps, as will now be discussed in reference to FIGS. 5 and6. When an interactive map is displayed on a PED 130, the passenger isable to scroll or zoom in and out using a scroll or zoom bar 201, asillustrated by the screen shot 203 from their PED 130. The interactivemaps preferably correspond to the flight path 203 of the aircraft 120,and are updated or refreshed via the ground data link 174 when theaircraft 120 is parked on the ground at the airport 170.

While in flight, the current location of the aircraft 120 can bedisplayed. Flight information 205 may also be displayed. The currentlocation of the aircraft 120 may be provided by a position determiningdevice/flight path determining 191, such as a GPS system carried by theaircraft. Alternatively, the position of the aircraft 120 can bedetermined on the ground and passed to the aircraft over theair-to-ground link 200. The final destination of the aircraft 120 canalso be displayed prior to arrival at the destination. In addition,destination information such as the arriving gate number, connectinggate numbers, baggage claim information, hotels, rental car agencies,restaurants, etc. could also be displayed.

Data associated with the destination 209 may also be made available tothe passengers. As illustrated by the screen shot 207 from a PED 130,data categories titled Hotels 211, Rental Cars 213, Restaurants 215 andEntertainment 217 are available for viewing by the passenger.

If the passenger does not already have a hotel reservation, then adesired or preferred hotel associated with the destination of theaircraft 120 can be selected from the Hotels category 211. Thecommunications system 100 advantageously allows the passenger to make ahotel reservation while in flight. Likewise, a rental car reservationcan also be made while in flight if a car is needed. Other points ofinterest or services (such as restaurants and entertainment) associatedwith the destination of the aircraft 120 can also be made available tothe passengers, including reservations, coupons and other availablediscounts, for example.

Referring back to FIG. 4, when the aircraft 120 is parked on the groundat the airport 170, a wireless airport data link 172 is used to transmitthe web content pages to the data memory cache 155 via a ground datalink receiver 174 carried by the aircraft 120. A ground data linkantenna 176 is coupled to the ground data link receiver 174. The grounddata link interface 180 may be compatible with 802.11 or 802.16, forexample. The ground data link interface 180 may be Wi-Fi or WiMax forthe aircraft 120. Other interface standards may be used as will bereadily appreciated by those skilled in the art. These interfaces alsoinclude cellular and PCS compatibility, for example.

When the aircraft 120 lands at a different airport, the web pages can beupdated or refreshed over the ground data link interface 180. Inaddition, email and text messaging by the PEDs 130 may be continuedafter the aircraft is on the ground. Since the air-to-ground interface200 may not be available when the aircraft 120 is on the ground, theground data link interface 180 would then be used.

Once the web pages are stored in the data memory cache 155, a passengerusing their Wi-Fi or WiMax enabled PED 130 can access and browse the webpages for on-board shopping while the aircraft 120 is airborne. The datamemory cache 155 is sufficiently sized for storing a large amount ofinformation, as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The on-board shopping just described is for items that are not carriedon the aircraft 120. On-board shopping may also be provided to thepassengers for a limited number of products. For example, when watchinga movie or listening to music, passengers have the option of receivingstandard headphones or they can purchase a different set of headphones,such as high quality noise suppression headphones. These transactionscan also be completed via the passenger's PED 130 using the web-basedpages stored in the data memory cache 155.

Another aspect of the illustrated embodiment is directed to a method foroperating a communications system 100 for an aircraft 120 carrying atleast some personnel having personal electronic devices (PEDs) forwireless data communications outside the aircraft with a ground-basedcommunications network. The communications system 100 may include anaccess point 160 in the aircraft 120 for providing a wireless local areanetwork (WLAN) for data communications with the PEDs 130, and anair-to-ground transceiver 152 in the aircraft 120 cooperating with theaccess point 160 for data communications with the ground-basedcommunications network. The method may comprise storing common dataaccessible by the PEDs 130 during flight of the aircraft 120 using anaircraft data memory cache 155 in the aircraft and cooperating with theaccess point 160.

The PEDs 130 are not limited to receiving and transmitting informationover the air-to-ground interface 200. Referring now to FIG. 7, signalsmay be transmitted from satellites 220, 230 to a multi-beam satelliteantenna 240 coupled to a satellite receiver 242 carried by the aircraft120. This is in addition to transmitting and receiving signals over theair-to-ground interface 200 via the ground-based network and theair-to-ground transceiver 152 carried by the aircraft 120.

In the illustrated embodiment, an aircraft-based network selectioncontroller 192 is associated with the air-to-ground transceiver 152 andthe access points 160. The aircraft-based network selection controller192 determines whether data communications should be sent to the PEDs130 through the air-to-ground transceiver 152 or the satellite receiver242. This is accomplished by appending data to return via a satellite.

In addition or in lieu of the aircraft-based network selectioncontroller 192, a ground-based network selection controller 194 iscoupled between a ground-based satellite transmitter 145 and theground-based base stations 140. The ground-based network selectioncontroller 194 also determines whether to send data communications tothe PEDs 130 through the air-to-ground transceiver 152 or through thesatellite receiver 242.

Satellite 220 provides television and digital radio signals for anin-flight entertainment (IFE) system on the aircraft 120 over satellitelink 254. Even though only one satellite is represented, the televisionand digital radio signals may be provided by separate satellites, suchas a DirectTV™ satellite and an XM™ radio satellite. In addition, athird satellite may be used to provide email and text messaging,multimedia messaging, credit card transactions, web surfing, etc. Theillustrated satellite antenna 240 supports communications with all threesatellites, i.e., the DirectTV™ satellite, the XM™ radio satellite, andthe email-text messaging satellite.

An example IFE system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,748,597. Thispatent is assigned to the current assignee of the present invention, andis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The television anddigital radio signals are sent through the on-board server 162 to seatelectronic boxes (SEBs) spaced throughout the aircraft for selectiveviewing on video display units (VDUs). Passenger control units (PCUs)are used to control the VDUs. The digital radio signals are alsodistributed to the SEES for reception via passenger headphones.

Of particular interest is that additional information can be obtainedfrom the satellite 220 which can then be made available to the PEDs 130.For example, the satellite 220 may provide information including sportsscores, stock ticker, news headlines, destination weather anddestination traffic. The satellite signals received by the satellitereceiver 242 are provided to the on-board server 162 for repackagingthis particular information for presentation to the PEDs 130 via theaccess points 160, as will be readily appreciated by those skilled inthe art.

When available, satellites with or without leased transponders may alsoprovide additional information to be repackaged by the on-board server162. The other satellite 230 may be a fixed satellite service (FSS) forproviding Internet access to the PEDs 130, for example. For example,satellite television and satellite radio signals may be provided to thepassengers on their PEDs 130 via Wi-Fi.

In this configuration, a message for web pages requested by thepassenger (via their PED 130) is provided over the air-to-groundinterface 200. The message on the ground would then be routed to anappropriate ground-based network selection controller 194, which wouldthen transmit the request to the FSS satellite 230. The satellite linkbetween the appropriate ground-based transmitter 145 and the satellite230 is represented by reference 250. The FSS satellite 230 thentransmits the requested web pages to the aircraft 120 over satellitelink 252 upon receiving the request from the ground.

Since the satellites may be somewhat close together in a geospatial arc,transmitting the return link over the air-to-ground link 200 instead ofover the satellite links 252, 254 avoids causing interference from theaircraft 120 to neighboring satellites. Nonetheless, the request couldbe transmitted directly from the aircraft 120 to the satellite 230 usinga steerable or directional satellite antenna.

The request provided by the PED 130 is often referred to as the returnlink. The information from the satellites 220, 230 to the aircraft 120is often referred to as the forward link. The air-to-ground interface200 is a narrow band interface, which is acceptable for making a requestsince such a request is typically narrower band than the forward link.In contrast, satellite links 252 and 254 are wide band interfaces, whichare ideal form providing the requested web pages that are typically wideband data.

Each of the network selection controllers 192, 194 may be used todetermine whether to send data communications to the PEDs 130 throughthe air-to-ground transceiver 152 or the satellite receiver 242 based ona needed channel capacity of the data communications to be sent orcongestion on a link. Data communications with a higher needed channelcapacity is typically sent with a high bandwidth using the satellitereceiver 242, and data communications with a lower needed channelcapacity is typically sent with a low bandwidth using the air-to-groundtransceiver 152. Alternatively, the high and low broadband datacommunications links may be reversed. Alternatively, the networkcontrollers could determine that the aircraft 120 is out of the coveragearea for the air-to-ground network or the air-to-ground network is atcapacity in the location for that aircraft. In this case, the networkselection controllers could route the traffic over the satellitenetwork. Alternatively, the network selection controllers could routesome traffic types over one network and other traffic types over theother network, as readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.

One of the network selection controllers 192, 194 may determine to senddata communications to the PEDs 130 through the air-to-groundtransceiver 152 or through the satellite receiver 242 based on receivedsignal strength of the data communications, or a position of theaircraft. The current location of the aircraft 120 may be provided by aposition determining device/flight path determining 191, such as a GPSsystem carried by the aircraft. Alternatively, the position of theaircraft 120 can be determined on the ground and passed to the aircraftover the air-to-ground link 200. If the aircraft 120 is to fly over theocean, then data should be received through the satellite receiver 242.By monitoring signal strength of the received signals or the position ofthe aircraft, a determination can be made on when the ground-based basestations 140 are no longer available, and communications should bereceived via the satellite receiver 242.

The network selection controllers 192, 194 thus determine whether tosend static and dynamic web pages through the satellite-basedcommunications network 145, 230 to the PEDs 130. Dynamic web pagesinclude streaming video, for example. Each network selection controller192, 194 may determine to send requests for at least one of the staticand dynamic web pages from the PEDs 130 through the access points 160and the air-to-ground transceiver 152.

As noted above, predetermined web pages are stored in the data memorycache 155 when the aircraft 120 is parked on the ground (i.e.,electronic retailer shopping and on-board shopping, as well asadvertisements). Since the satellite links 252, 254 are wide band, therequested web information may also be downloaded for storage orrefreshed in the data memory cache 155 while the aircraft is in flight.

Another aspect of the illustrated embodiment is directed to a method foroperating a communications system 100 for an aircraft 120 carrying atleast some personnel having personal electronic devices (PEDs) 130 forwireless data communications outside the aircraft. The communicationssystem 100 includes a ground-based communications network, asatellite-based communications network, and at least one access point160 in the aircraft 120 for providing a WLAN for data communicationswith the PEDs 130. An air-to-ground transceiver 154 in the aircraft 120may cooperate with the at least one access point 160 for datacommunications with the ground-based communications network, and asatellite receiver 242 in the aircraft may cooperate with the at leastone access point for data communications with the satellite-basedcommunications network to the PEDs. The method includes determiningwhether to send data communications to the PEDs 130 through theair-to-ground transceiver 152 or the satellite receiver 242.

Referring now to FIG. 8, another aspect is directed to handoff of theaircraft 120 from one ground-based base station 140 to an adjacentground-based base station, or between azimuth or elevation sectors onone base station. Since the air-to-ground network 100 may be optimizedfor data instead of voice, delays or latencies can be tolerated withoutthe end user having the perception that the call is being dropped as isthe case with voice. Consequently, soft handoffs are needed forvoice-based networks.

In contrast, data can be stored on the ground or on the aircraft whilethe aircraft 120 is between cell coverage areas for a hard handoff. Oncethe aircraft 120 is within coverage of the next cell, the data can thenbe forwarded.

Hard handoffs can thus be used to make the connection from one basestation 140 to an adjacent base station in support of the air-to-groundcommunications network 100. Messages being communicated between a PED130 and the ground can be stored in a buffer or memory 157. The buffer157 may be part of the data memory cache 155, or alternatively, thebuffer may be a separate memory as illustrated. Each base station 140has a hard handoff controller 147 associated therewith. Moreover, withthe aircraft 120 typically flying at speeds over 500 mph, the delay isrelatively short.

To support a soft handoff, as would be necessary with voice, twice thespectrum resources would be needed. With a hard handoff, the spectrum ispreserved at the expense of having sufficient memory for storing data inthe buffer 157 (or on the ground) during a handoff while the aircraft120 is between base stations 140.

The base stations 140 define respective adjacent coverage areas andcomprise respective hard handoff controllers 147 for implementing a hardhandoff of a data communications channel with the air-to-groundtransceiver 152 as the aircraft 120 moves from one coverage area to anadjacent coverage area.

An aircraft hard handoff controller 149 may cooperate with the hardhandoff controllers 147 on the ground. The aircraft hard handoffcontroller 149 cooperates with ground-based hard handoff controllers 147by monitoring metrics. The metrics include a received signal strength ofthe data communications channel, or available capacity at the basestation 140, for example.

In another embodiment for implementing an aircraft hard handoff, theaircraft hard handoff controller 149 implements the hard handoff of adata communications channel with the air-to-ground transceiver 152 asthe aircraft 120 moves from one coverage area to an adjacent coveragearea. This implementation may be based on metrics collected in theaircraft. These metrics include a Doppler shift of the datacommunications channel, a signal-to-noise ratio of the datacommunications channel, or a received signal strength of the datacommunications channel. This implementation may also be based onposition of the aircraft 120, as readily appreciated by those skilled inthe art.

The buffer 157 may be separate from the aircraft hard handoff controller149 or may be integrated as par the hard handoff controller. The firstand second hard handoff controllers 147 may implement the hard handoffbased on the following metrics: a Doppler shift of the datacommunications channel, a signal-to-noise ratio of the datacommunications channel, or a received signal strength of the datacommunications channel, as will be readily appreciated by those skilledin the art.

In other embodiments, a position/flight determining device 191 on theaircraft 120 cooperates with the ground-based hard handoff controllers147 for implementing the hard handoff based upon a position of theaircraft. The position/flight path determining device 191 may be a GPSor other navigational device.

The base stations 140 may be configured with selectable antenna beamsfor performing the hard handoff, as will now be discussed. In oneembodiment, one or more of the base stations 140 include selectableantenna beams 97, with each antenna beam having a same pattern and gainbut in a different sector as compared to the other antenna beams. Thedifferent sector may also be defined in azimuth and/or elevation. Eachantenna beam 97 may be optimized in terms of gain and beam width. Theminimally overlapping antenna beams 97 thus provide complete coverage inthe different sectors.

In another embodiment, one or more of the base stations 140 includeselectable antenna beams 98 and 99, with at least two antenna beamsbeing in a same sector but with a different pattern and gain. Antennabeam 99 is high gain with a narrow beam width for communicating with theaircraft 120 at an extended distance from the base station 140. When theaircraft 120 is closer in range to the base station 140, antenna beam 98is selected, which is low gain with a wide beam width.

As noted above, there are a number of different metrics to monitor todetermine when airborne users (i.e., PEDs 130) within an aircraft 120are to be handed off to a next base station 140. In terms of Doppler,the Doppler shift on the MAC addresses of the signals received by eachbase station 140 are examined. The Doppler metric is to be factored intothe handoff algorithm at each base station 140.

When using GPS coordinates, each base station 140 receives GPScoordinates of the aircraft 120, and based upon movement of theaircraft, the base stations coordinate handoff of the aircraftaccordingly from base station to base station.

Along the same lines, sectorized antennas at the base station 140 may beused for communicating with the aircraft 120. The antennas at each basestation 140 may provide a high gain/narrow beamwidth coverage sector anda low gain/broad beamwidth coverage sector. The high gain/narrowbeamwidth coverage sector may be used when link conditions with theaircraft 120 are poor. Sites could be sectorized in azimuth, elevationor both. These sectors could be static or dynamic.

If the link conditions with the aircraft 120 are good, then the lowgain/broad beamwidth coverage beam is used. In one embodiment, thecoverage sectors are selected based upon the link conditions with theaircraft 120. Alternatively, the coverage sectors are fixed at the basestation 140. For example, the high gain/narrow beamwidth coverage sectormay be used for aircraft 120 that are farther away from the base station140, whereas the low gain/broad beamwidth coverage sector may be usedfor aircraft flying near the base station.

Lastly, a ground selection algorithm may be used to select aground-based base station 140 based on the flight path and the basestations in proximity to the flight path. If the aircraft 120 is aboutto exit a cell, transmitted email and text messages for a PED 130 arestored until the aircraft is in the next coverage area. Thisadvantageously allows a longer continuous connection, which makes use ofthe limited spectrum resources more efficiently. The ground selectionalgorithm could use ground-based location information or GPS data on thelocation of the aircraft 120 and known ground site locations to optimizeconnection times. The resulting system may thus be considered astore-and-forward architecture.

Another aspect of the illustrated embodiment is directed to a method foroperating a communications system 100 for an aircraft 120 carrying atleast some personnel having personal electronic devices (PEDs) 130 forwireless data communications outside the aircraft with a ground-basedcommunications network. The communications system 100 includes aplurality of spaced apart base stations 140, and at least one accesspoint 160 in the aircraft 120 for providing a wireless local areanetwork (WLAN) for data communications with the PEDs 130. Anair-to-ground transceiver 152 in the aircraft 120 may cooperate with theat least one access point 160 for data communications with theground-based communications network. The method may include operatingfirst and second base stations 140 to define respective first and secondadjacent coverage areas, with the first and second base stationscomprising respective first and second hard handoff controllers 147. Therespective first and second hard handoff controllers 147 are operatedfor implementing a hard handoff of a data communications channel withthe air-to-ground transceiver 152 as the aircraft 120 moves from thefirst coverage area to the second adjacent coverage area. Alternatively,the handoff decision can be implemented by an aircraft hard handoffcontroller 149 in the aircraft 120. This implementation may be based onmetrics collected in the aircraft 120.

To summarize example on-board content deliveries to the aircraft 120from the various sources, reference is directed to FIG. 9. When inflight, the air-to-ground interface 200 provides connectivity forfeatures that include email, text messaging, credit card transactions,multimedia messaging, web surfing and RSS as indicated by reference 300.To use RSS, the PED 130 has an RSS news reader or aggregator that allowsthe collection and display of RSS feeds. RSS news readers allow apassenger to view the service selected in one place and, byautomatically retrieving updates, stay current with new content soonafter it is published. There are many readers available and most arefree.

The airport data link 172 may be used to provide the best of YouTube™ asindicated by reference 302. The XM™ satellite 220 may provide sportsscores, stock ticker, news headlines and destination traffic asindicated by reference 304. DirectTV™ may also be provided by satellite220 which can be used to provide additional information as indicated byreference 306. For future growth, two-way communications may be providedby a satellite as indicated by reference 308, such as with DirecWay orHughesnet, for example. The airport data link 172 may also be used toprovide cellular/PCS/WiMax services as indicated by reference 310.

The above content is provided to the on-board server 162 which mayinclude or interface with the data memory cache 155. The data isprovided to passenger PEDs 130 using Wi-Fi or WiMax distribution via theaccess points 160. Video and data is provided to an Ethernetdistribution 320 for distributing throughout the aircraft as part of thein-flight entertainment system.

In terms of transmission distance or proximity to the aircraft 120 forthe above-described on-board content deliveries, reference is directedto FIG. 10. Circle 350 represents information provided by the airportground data link 172 when the aircraft 120 is parked at the airport 170or moving about the airport with weight on wheels. When airborne, circle352 represents information provided via the air-to-ground interface 200,and circle 354 represents the information provided by the satellites220, 230. The information as discussed above is summarized in therespective circles 350, 352 and 354.

In view of the different air interface standards associated with theaircraft 120, the on-board server 162 may be configured to recognize theavailable air interface standards. As a result, the on-board server 162selects the appropriate air interface standard based on proximity to aparticular network. This decision may also be based on the bandwidththat is available, location of the aircraft 120 as determined by GPS,and whether the aircraft is taking off or landing. For example, when theaircraft 120 is on the ground, the ground data link interface 180 isselected. When airborne, the network selection controllers 192, 194select either the air-to-ground interface 200 or a satellite interface252, 254 depending on traffic demands, or both, for example.

Depending on the airline rules and regulations, the cellular mode of adual mode cellular/Wi-Fi device may not be operated on an aircraft belowa certain altitude, such as 10,000 feet. To support this requirement,the on-board server 162 and the Wi-Fi access points 160 may have enoughpico-cell capability to drive the cellular radio in dual mode devices tominimum power or even to turn the cellular radios off. The connection tothe wireless onboard network could be WiFi or WiMax. The Pico-cellfunction would be to drive cellular/PCS output power to areduced/minimum or off condition. This turns the cellular/PCStransmitter “off” while on the aircraft, while allowing Wi-Fitransmission and reception.

Another metric to monitor on the aircraft 120 is related to priority ofservice. This is due to the fact that that aircraft 120 can receiveinformation over a wide band link from a satellite, for example, andtransmit requests for the information over a narrow band link. Ifsomeone tries to send a large attachment on their email over the narrowband link, or they are video/audio streaming, then access will be deniedor throttled or charged for a premium service for large data transfersby the data traffic controllers 158, 148. It could also be possible touse pico-cells to connect cellular/PCS mobile phones (FED) 130 to theonboard systems.

Therefore, traffic is monitored in terms of metrics to make quality ofservice and priority of service decisions. This decision may be madeon-board the aircraft 120 for any traffic leaving the aircraft 120. Thisdecision may also be made on the ground, which monitors if someone onthe ground is sending to large of an attachment, and if so, then accesswill also be denied or throttled or charged for a premium service forlarge data transfers. These criteria for decisions could by dynamic orstatic.

Priority of service also relates to quality of service. Various metricsand traffic conditions can be monitored to provide connectivity to agreater or maximum number of airline passengers on a flight. Operationsand cabin passenger entertainment (email, text messaging, web browsing,etc.) data can be multiplexed on a variable latency link. Operationaland passenger data may also be multiplexed with multiple priorities ofservice allowing some data to be handled at a higher priority than otherdata.

Yet another aspect of the aircraft air-to-ground communications network10 is with respect to advertisements. The advertisements are used togenerate revenue from the air to ground, hybrid air to ground/satellite,or satellite communications network. For example, when a passenger opensup their laptop computer 130 on the aircraft 120, a decision is madewhether or not to use the 802.11 Wi-Fi or 802.16 WiMax network. If thedecision is yes, then an advertisement is displayed while accessing thenetwork.

In addition, when portal pages are viewed, advertisements will also bedisplayed. Since the advertisements are used to generate revenues,passengers are allowed access to the air-to-ground communicationsnetwork 100 without having to pay with a credit card or touchlesspayment method, as was the case for the Connexion by Boeing^(SM) system.While looking at different web pages, the passengers will seeadvertisements interspersed or sharing the same screen.

Another function of the aircraft 120 is to use the air-to-groundcommunications network 100 for telemetry. Telemetry involves collectingdata at remote locations, and then transmitting the data to a centralstation. The problem arises when the data collection devices at theremote locations are separated beyond line-of-sight from the centralstation. Consequently, one or more towers are required to complete thetelemetry link. To avoid the costly expense of providing telemetrytowers, the aircraft 120 may be used to relay the collected informationfrom the remote locations to the central station when flying overhead.

Yet another function of the aircraft 120 is to use the air-to-groundcommunications network 100 for ground-based RFID tracking. Similar tousing the aircraft 120 for telemetry, the aircraft may also be used fortracking mobile assets on the ground, such as a fleet of trucks, forexample. The trucks transmit RFID signals that are received by theaircraft 120 as it flies overhead. The information is then relayed to acentral station. The RFID signals may be GPS coordinates, for example.

Another aspect of the air-to-ground communications network 100 is toprovide video on demand on the aircraft 120. This feature has beenpartially discussed above and involves providing television signals ondemand to passengers on the aircraft. The television signals may beterrestrial based or relayed via a satellite, In particular, the returnto make the request is not the same as the forward link providing thevideo. The return link is a low data rate link, and may be provided bythe aircraft passenger's PED 130 over the air-to-ground interface 200.The forward link is a high data rate link received by a terrestrial orsatellite based receiver on the aircraft, The video is then routedthrough the aircraft in-flight entertainment system to the passenger, orto the passenger's PED 130 via Wi-Fi. Alternatively, the video or audiocan be stored in the server 162 and displayed when requested by apassenger.

The major components of an in-flight entertainment system 430 will nowbe discussed with reference to FIGS. 11 through 13. In particular, theillustrated system 430 is discussed with respect to a televisionprogramming distribution system. For discussion purposes, theillustrated system 430 does not include the access points 160 asdiscussed above.

The in-flight entertainment system 430 includes a satellite antennasystem 435 to be mounted on the fuselage 432 of the aircraft 431. Thesatellite antenna system 435 supports reception of televisionprogramming and Internet data from separate satellites, as will bediscussed in greater below. However, for discussion purposes, receptionwill be focused on receiving the television programming from theillustrated DES satellite 433.

The system 430 includes one or more multi-channel receiver modulators(MRMs) 440, a cable distribution network 441, a plurality of seatelectronic boxes (SEBs) 445 spaced about the aircraft cabin, and videodisplay units (VDUs) 447 for the passengers and which are connected tothe SEBs. In the illustrated embodiment, the system 430 receives,distributes, and decodes the DBS transmissions from the DBS satellite433. In other embodiments, the system 430 may receive video or TVsignals from other classes of satellites as will be readily appreciatedby those skilled in the art, including Internet Data from an FSSsatellite.

The satellite antenna system 435 delivers DES signals to the MRMs 440for processing. For example, each MRM 440 may include twelve DBSreceivers and twelve video/audio RF modulators. The twelve receiversrecover the digitally encoded multiplexed data for twelve televisionprograms as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

As shown in the more detailed schematic diagram of FIGS. 12A and 12B, anaudio video modulator (AVM) 450 is connected to the MRMs 440, as well asa number of other inputs and outputs. The AVM 450 illustrativelyreceives inputs from an external camera 452, as well as one or moreother video sources 454, such as videotape sources, and receives signalinputs from one or more audio sources 456 which may also be prerecorded,for example. A PA keyline input and PA audio input are provided forpassenger address and video address override. Audio for any receiveralong with an associated keyline are provided as outputs from the MRM440 so that the audio may be broadcast over the cabin speaker system,for example, as will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Inthe illustrated embodiment, a control panel 451 is provided as part ofthe AVM 450. The control panel 451 not only permits control of thesystem, but also displays pertinent system information and permitsvarious diagnostic or maintenance activities to be quickly and easilyperformed.

The AVM 450 is also illustratively coupled to a ground data link radiotransceiver 457, such as for permitting downloading or uploading of dataor programming information. The AVM 450 is also illustrativelyinterfaced to an air-to-ground telephone system 458 as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art.

The AVM 450 illustratively generates a number of NTSC video outputswhich may be fed to one or more retractable monitors 461 spacedthroughout the cabin. Power is preferably provided by the aircraft 400Hz AC power supply as will also be appreciated by those skilled in theart. Of course, in some embodiments, the retractable monitors may not beneeded.

The MRMs 440 may perform system control, and status monitoring. An RFdistribution assembly (RDA) 462 can be provided to combine signals froma number of MRMs, such as four, for example. The RDA 462 combines theMRM RF outputs to create a single RF signal comprising up to 48audio/video channels, for example. The RDA 462 amplifies and distributesthe composite RF signal to a predetermined number of zone cable outputs.Eight zones are typical for a typical narrow-body single-aisle aircraft431. Depending on the aircraft, not all eight outputs may be used. Eachcable will serve a zone of seatgroups 465 in the passenger cabin.

Referring now more specifically to the lower portion of FIG. 12B andalso to FIG. 13, distribution of the RF signals and display of video tothe passengers is now further described. Each zone cable 441 feeds theRF signal to a group of contiguous seatgroups 465 along either the rightor left hand side of the passenger aisle. In the illustrated embodiment,the seatgroup 465 includes three side-by-side seats 466, although thisnumber may also be two for other types of conventional narrow-bodyaircraft.

The distribution cables 441 are connected to the first SEB 445 in eachrespective right or left zone. The other SEBs 445 are daisy-chainedtogether with seat-to-seat cables. The zone feed, and seat-to-seatcables preferably comprise an RF audio-video coaxial cable, a 400 Hzcycle power cable, and RS 485 data wiring.

For each seat 466 in the group 465, the SEE 445 tunes to and demodulatesone of the RF modulated audio/video channels. The audio and video areoutput to the passenger video display units (VDUs) 468 and headphones470, respectively. The tuner channels are under control of the passengercontrol unit (PCU) 471, typically mounted in the armrest of the seat466, and which also carries a volume control.

Each VDU 468 may be a flat panel color display mounted in the seatback.The VDU 468 may also be mounted in the aircraft bulkhead in otherconfigurations as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. TheVDU 468 will also typically include associated therewith a user paymentcard reader 472. The payment card reader 472 may be a credit cardreader, for example, of the type that reads magnetically encodedinformation from a stripe carried by the card as the user swipes thecard through a slot in the reader as will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art. In some embodiments, the credit card data may beprocessed on the aircraft to make certain processing decisions relatingto validity, such as whether the card is expired, for example. Asdescribed in greater detail below, the payment card reader 472 may alsobe used as the single input required to activate the system for enhanceduser convenience.

The cable distribution system is modeled after a conventional groundbased cable TV system in terms of signal modulation, cabling, drops,etc. Certain changes are made to allocate the available channels, suchas forty-eight, so as not to cause potential interference problems withother equipment aboard the aircraft 431 as will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art. In addition, there are basically no activecomponents along the cable distribution path that may fail, for example.The cable distribution system also includes zones of seatgroups 466. Thezones provide greater robustness in the event of a failure. The zonescan also be added, such as to provide full service throughout the cabin.

At least one entertainment source is installed on the aircraft. Theentertainment source may include a satellite TV source, such as providedby the DES antenna system 435 and MRMs 440 described above. A pluralityof spaced apart signal distribution devices is installed, eachgenerating audio signals for at least one passenger in an audio-onlymode, and generating audio and video signals to at least one passengerin an audio/video mode. These devices may be the SEBs 445 describedabove as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The cable network is installed on the aircraft 431 connecting the atleast one entertainment source to the signal distribution devices. Inother words, the MRMs 440 are connected to the SEEs 445 in the variousequipped zones throughout the aircraft 431.

Turning now additionally to FIGS. 14 and 15, advantages and features ofthe satellite antenna system 435 are now described in greater detail.The satellite antenna system 435 includes an antenna 536 which may bepositioned or steered by one or more antenna positioners 538 as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art. In addition, one or moreposition encoders 541 may also be associated with the antenna 536 tosteer the antenna to thereby track the DES satellite or satellites 533.Of course, a positioning motor and associated encoder may be providedtogether within a common housing, as will also be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art. In accordance with one significant advantage, theantenna 536 may be steered using received signals in the relatively widebandwidth of at least one DES transponder.

More particularly, the satellite antenna system 435 includes an antennasteering controller 542, which, in turn, comprises the illustrated fulltransponder bandwidth received signal detector 543. This detector 543generates a received signal strength feedback signal based upon signalsreceived from the full bandwidth of a DBS transponder rather than asingle demodulated programming channel, for example. Of course, in otherembodiments the same principles can be employed for other classes ortypes of satellites than the DBS satellites described herein by way ofexample, such as for receiving Internet data from an FSS satellite. Inaddition, the detector could operate on a portion of the transponderbandwidth but not the full transponder bandwidth.

In the illustrated embodiment, the detector 543 is coupled to the outputof the illustrated intermediate frequency interface (IFI) 546 whichconverts the received signals to one or more intermediate frequenciesfor further processing by the MRMs 440 as described above and as will bereadily appreciated by those skilled in the art. In other embodiments,signal processing circuitry, other than that in the IFI 546 may also beused to couple the received signal from one or more full satellitetransponders to the received signal strength detector 543 as will alsobe appreciated by those skilled in the art.

A processor 545 is illustratively connected to the received signalstrength detector 543 for controlling the antenna steering positioners538 during aircraft flight and based upon the received signal strengthfeedback signal. Accordingly, tracking of the satellite or satellites433 is enhanced and signal service reliability is also enhanced.

The antenna steering controller 542 may further comprise at least oneinertial rate sensor 548 as shown in the illustrated embodiment, such asfor roll, pitch or yaw as will be appreciated by those skilled in theart. The rate sensor 548 may be provided by one or more solid-stategyroscopes, for example. The processor 545 may calibrate the rate sensor548 based upon the received signal strength feedback signal.

The illustrated satellite antenna system 435 also includes a globalpositioning system (GPS) antenna 551 to be carried by the aircraftfuselage 432. This may preferably be provided as part of an antennaassembly package to be mounted on the upper portion of the fuselage. Theantenna assembly may also include a suitable radome, not shown, as willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art. The antenna steeringcontroller 542 also illustratively includes a GPS receiver 552 connectedto the processor 545. The processor 545 may further calibrate the ratesensor 548 based upon signals from the GPS receiver as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art.

As will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the processor545 may be a commercially available microprocessor operating understored program control. Alternately, discrete logic and other signalprocessing circuits may be used for the processor 545. This is also thecase for the other portions or circuit components described as aprocessor herein as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Theadvantageous feature of this aspect is that the full or substantiallyfull bandwidth of the satellite transponder signal is processed fordetermining the received signal strength, and this provides greaterreliability and accuracy for steering the antenna 536.

Another advantage of the antenna system 435 is that it may operateindependently of the aircraft navigation system 553 which isschematically illustrated in the lower right hand portion of FIG. 14. Inother words, the aircraft 431 may include an aircraft navigation system553, and the antenna steering controller 542 may operate independentlyof this aircraft navigation system. Thus, the antenna steering mayoperate faster and without potential unwanted effects on the aircraftnavigation system 553 as will be appreciated by those skilled in theart. In addition, the satellite antenna system 435 is also particularlyadvantageous for a single-aisle narrow-body aircraft 431 where costeffectiveness and low weight are especially important.

Turning now additionally to FIG. 16, another embodiment of the satelliteantenna system 435′ is now described which includes yet furtheradvantageous features. This embodiment is directed to functioning inconjunction with the three essentially collocated geostationarysatellites for the DIRECTV® DBS service, although the satellite antennasystem 35′ is applicable in other situations as well. For example, theDIRECTV® satellites may be positioned above the earth at 101 degreeswest longitude and spaced 0.5 degrees from each other. Of course, theseDIRECTV® satellites may also be moved from these example locations, andmore than three satellites may be so collocated. Considered in somewhatbroader terms, these features are directed to two or more essentiallycollocated geostationary satellites. Different circular polarizationsare implemented for reused frequencies as will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art.

In this illustrated embodiment, the satellite antenna 536′ is amulti-beam antenna having an antenna boresight (indicated by referenceB), and also defining right-hand circularly polarized (RHCP) andleft-hand circularly polarized (LHCP) beams (designated RHCP and LHCP inFIG. 16) which are offset from the antenna boresight. Moreover, thebeams RHCP, LHCP are offset from one another by a beam offset angle αwhich is greatly exaggerated in the figure for clarity. This beam offsetangle α is less than the angle β defined by the spacing defined by thesatellites 433 a, 433 b. The transponder or satellite spacing angle β isabout 0.5 degrees, and the beam offset angle α is preferably less than0.5 degrees, and may be about 0.2 degrees, for example.

The beam offset angle provides a squinting effect and which allows theantenna 536′ to be made longer and thinner than would otherwise berequired, and the resulting shape is highly desirable for aircraftmounting as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Thesquinting also allows the antenna to be constructed to have additionalsignal margin when operating in rain, for example, as will also beappreciated by those skilled in the art.

The multi-beam antenna 536′ may be readily constructed in a phased arrayform or in a mechanical form as will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art without requiring further discussion herein. Aspects of similarantennas are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,624 to Amitay et al.; U.S.Pat. No. 5,617,108 to Silinsky et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,263 alsoto Amitay et al.; the entire disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

The processor 545′ preferably steers the antenna 536′ based uponreceived signals from at least one of the RHCP and LHCP beams which areprocessed via the IFI 546′ and input into respective received signalstrength detectors 543 a, 543 b of the antenna steering controller 542′.In one embodiment, the processor 545′ steers the multi-beam antenna 536′based on a selected master one of the RHCP and LHCP beams and slaves theother beam therefrom.

In another embodiment, the processor 545′ steers the multi-beam antenna536′ based on a predetermined contribution from each of the RHCP andLHCP beams. For example, the contribution may be the same for each beam.In other words, the steering or tracking may be such as to average thereceived signal strengths from each beam as will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art. As will also be appreciated by those skilled in theart, other fractions or percentages can also be used. Of course, theadvantage of receiving signals from two different satellites 433 a, 433b is that more programming channels may then be made available to thepassengers.

The antenna system 435′ may also advantageously operate independent ofthe aircraft navigation system 553′. The other elements of FIG. 16 areindicated by prime notation and are similar to those described abovewith respect to FIG. 14. Accordingly, these similar elements need nofurther discussion.

Another aspect relates to the inclusion of adaptive polarizationtechniques which may be used to avoid interference from othersatellites. In particular, low earth orbit satellites (LEOS) are plannedwhich may periodically be in position to cause interference with thesignal reception by the in-flight entertainment system 430. Adaptivepolarization techniques would also be desirable should assigned orbitalslots for satellites be moved closer together.

Accordingly, the processor 545′ may preferably be configured to performadaptive polarization techniques to avoid or reduce the impact of suchpotential interference. Other adaptive polarization techniques may alsobe used. Suitable adaptive polarization techniques are disclosed, forexample, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,124 to Fitzsimmons et al; U.S. Pat. No.5,649,318 to Lusignan; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,167 to Cluniat et al. Theentire disclosures of each of these patents is incorporated herein byreference. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate theimplementation of such adaptive polarization techniques with thein-flight entertainment system 430 without further discussion.

A multi-beam phased array antenna 635 and control circuitry 640associated therewith for simultaneously communicating with two differentsatellites 220, 230 will now be discussed in reference to FIGS. 17-22.Satellite 220 may be a direct broadcast satellite (DES) for providingtelevision programming (i.e., satellite TV) to the aircraft 120, andsatellite 230 may be a fixed satellite service (FSS) for providingInternet data (i.e., satellite Internet) to the aircraft 120. Theillustrated link 254 between the DBS satellite 220 and the aircraft 120is receive only, whereas the illustrated link 252 between the FSSsatellite 230 and the aircraft is transmit and receive.

Both of these satellites 220, 230 are geosynchronous earth orbit (GEG)satellites that are separated along an equatorial arc around the earth.

The satellites 220, 230 may be at the same orbital slot assignment or attwo distinctly different slot assignments. The multi-beam phased arrayantenna 635 and control circuitry 640 simultaneously generates dualantenna beams 650 and 660, with each antenna beam having a respectiveantenna beam boresight. Alternatively, the dual antenna beams 650 and660 may be directed at the same satellite if the satellite is a combinedDBS/FSS satellite.

A radome 637 protects the phased array antenna 635. In addition, theradome 637 is tuned to reduce RF signal degradation, specificallyscattering loss and polarization degradation. The tuning is based on theoperating frequencies of the phased array antenna 635 and the range ofexpected incidence angles, as will be readily appreciated by thoseskilled in the art.

A satellite transceiver 242 coupled to the phased array antenna 635 andto the control circuitry 640 is configured to simultaneously receive thetelevision programming from the DBS satellite 220 and transmit/receivethe Internet data to/from the FSS satellite 230. Although notillustrated, the satellite transceiver 242 includes a receiver for thetelevision programming, and a receiver (e.g., a modem) for the Internetdata. The receivers may correspond to the MRMs 440 illustrated in FIG.14.

Intermediate frequency interfaces (IFI) 546 as also illustrated in FIG.14 may be used to convert the received satellite signals to one or moreintermediate frequencies for further processing by the MRMs 440. TheIFIs 546 thus translate the received modulated signals in frequency andperform amplification. For the transmitter portion of the satellitetransceiver 242, a transmitter provides the modulated signals to a blockup converter (BUC) within the transmit signal path. The BUC performs anup-conversion and amplification of the modulated signals to betransmitted by the phased array antenna 235 and control circuitry 640.

The link 252 between the FSS satellite 230 and the aircraft 120 may beused as an uplink for requesting the Internet data directly from the FSSsatellite. Alternatively, the request for the Internet data may be madeover the air-to-ground interface 200 as discussed above with respect tothe network selection controller 192, which is then relayed to the FSSsatellite 230.

A server 162 is connected to the satellite transceiver 242. The server162 includes a data memory cache 155 and a data traffic controller 158.An air-to-ground antenna 154 is coupled to the air-to-ground transceiver152, which is also connected to the server 162. An optional controlpanel 164 is illustratively coupled to the server 162.

A television programming distribution system is coupled to the phasedarray antenna 635 and control circuitry 640 via the server 162 toprovide television programming within the aircraft 120. The televisionprogramming distribution system includes cabling 670 and at least onedisplay 672 coupled thereto. Alternatively, the television programmingdistribution system may include SEBs 445 and VDUs 447 spaced throughoutthe cabin area of the aircraft 231 as illustrated in FIG. 17. Accesspoints 160 are also coupled to the phased array antenna 635 and controlcircuitry 640 via the server 162 to provide a WEAN within the aircraft120 for the Internet data.

The phased array antenna 635 has been divided into 8 array segments orsub-arrays 738(1)-738(8), as illustrated in FIG. 18. The actual numberof sub-arrays can vary as readily appreciated by those skilled in theart. The outputs of the sub-arrays 738(1)-738(8) are provided tocorresponding signal splitters 760(1)-760(8) within the controlcircuitry 640. A respective sub-array and signal splitter will begenerally referred to by references 738 and 760.

The television programming may be receive only from the DES satellite220, whereas the Internet data may be transmit and receive with respectto the FSS satellite 230. For the receive side of the phased arrayantenna 635 and control circuitry 640, each signal splitter 760 splitssignals received by a corresponding sub-array 738 into first and secondoutput signals. The first output signals are provided to a first set ofphase shifters 789(1)-789(8), and the second output signals are providedto a second set of phase shifters 790(1)-790(8), as illustrated in FIG.18.

The respective first and second phase shifters will be generallyreferred to by references 789 and 790. The first output signalscorrespond to received television programming from the DES satellite 220via antenna beam 650, and the second output signals correspond toreceived Internet data from the FSS satellite 230 via antenna beam 660.The second phase shifters 790 may also be used for forming the antennabeam 660 to transmit a request to the FSS satellite 230 for Internetdata, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

Even though phase shifters 789, 790 are illustrated for directing thedesired antenna beams 650 and 660, amplitude weights may be used inplace of the phase shifters. Alternatively, a combination of phaseshifters and amplitude weights may be used as will be readilyappreciated by those skilled in the art. The term phase array antennathus includes phase shifters and/or amplitude weights for directing thedesired antenna beams 650 and 660. The term antenna beam shapingelements will be used to include phase shifters and/or amplitudeweights.

A controller 710 is coupled to the phase shifters 789 and 790 to varythe phase shifts, and thus vary the direction of the antenna beams 650and 660. If the control circuitry 640 included amplitude weights asnoted above, then the controller 710 would control the amplitude weightsaccordingly.

The controller 710 may operate as discussed above for controller 142,142′ for tracking position of the satellites 220 and 230, as will bereadily appreciated by those skilled in the art. In other embodiments,the tracking may be based on position of the aircraft versus theposition of the satellites 220 and 230. The tracking may be an open looppointing system based on GPS and/or inertial rate sensors, for example.

The first output signals from the first phase shifters 789 correspond tothe television programming, which is receive only from the DBS satellite220. The outputs of the phase shifters 789 are provided to low noiseamplifiers 791(1)-791(8). The respective low noise amplifiers will begenerally referred to by reference 791. The amplified signals from thelow noise amplifiers 791 are collectively provided to a DBS combiner780(a) via signal paths 770(1)-770(8). For purposes of simplifying thedrawing, connections A-H at the outputs of the low noise amplifiers 791respectively connect with connections A-H at the inputs of the DEScombiner 780(a).

Similarly, the second output signals from the second phase shifters 790correspond to received Internet data. The received Internet data isprovided to a set of circulators 793(1)-793(8). The respectivecirculators will be generally referred to by reference 793. Thecirculators 793 isolate transmit and receive Internet data from theirintended transmit and receive signal paths, as will be readilyappreciated by those skilled in the art.

On the receive side of the Internet data, the second output signals fromthe circulators 793 are provided to low noise amplifiers 795(1)-795(8).The respective low noise amplifiers will be generally referred to byreference 795. The amplified signals from the low noise amplifiers 795are collectively provided to an Internet-receive combiner 781(a) viasignal paths 771(1)-771(8).

On the transmit side of the phased array antenna 635 and controlcircuitry 640, an Internet-transmit splitter 782(a) provides the uplinkrequest to high power amplifiers 797(1)-797(8) via signal paths773(1)-773(8). The respective high power amplifiers will be generallyreferred to by reference 797, and the respective signal paths will begenerally referred to by reference 773. The high power amplifiers 797provide the amplified signals to the second phase shifters 790. Thephase shifted signals to be transmitted are then directed back throughthe splitters 760 to the respective sub-arrays 738 via the circulators793.

When the television programming is transmitted from the DES satellite220, two different orthogonal polarizations are used. To supportreceiving television programming in both polarizations, the phased arrayantenna 635 and control circuitry 640 provide more than one antennapolarization.

The phased array antenna 635 includes eight sub-arrays 738 for onepolarization and another eight sub-arrays for an orthogonal polarizationfor a total of 16 sub-arrays. The sub-arrays for the orthogonalpolarization are not illustrated to simplify FIG. 18. The illustratedsub-arrays 738 form antenna beam 650 for receiving televisionprogramming at one polarization. Although not illustrated, the othereight sub-arrays form another antenna beam for receiving televisionprogramming at an orthogonal polarization.

To support receiving television programming at the orthogonalpolarization, another set of splitters and phase shifters are requiredin the control circuitry 640, which are also not illustrated. However,the control circuitry 640 illustrates a DES combiner 780(a) for onepolarization, and a DES combiner 780(b) for the orthogonal polarization.In other words, the second set of sub-arrays, splitters and phaseshifters supporting the orthogonal polarization would be coupled to DEScombiner 780(b).

To correct the polarization based on the attitude of the aircraft 120,the combined television programming from one polarization output fromDBS combiner 780(a) and the combined television programming from anorthogonal polarization output from DES combiner 780(b) are provided toa polarization correction module 800. The polarization correction module800 includes an amplitude/phase trimmer 810 coupled to the DES combiner780(a) and an amplitude/phase trimmer 811 coupled to the DES combiner780(b), as illustrated in FIG. 20. The outputs from both of theamplitude/phase trimmers 810, 811 are summed by a summer 812. Apolarization controller 813 controls or adjusts the respectiveamplitude/phase trimmers 810, 811 based on the attitude of the aircraft120. The attitude of the aircraft 120 may be provided by the independentaircraft navigation system 553, for example. The output of the summer812 is provided to the satellite transceiver 242.

When the Internet data is transmitted from the FSS satellite 230, twodifferent orthogonal polarizations are also used. One may be verticalpolarization (VP) and the other may be horizontal polarization (HP), forexample. The illustrated sub-arrays 738 form antenna beam 660 forreceiving VP Internet data, for example. The other eight sub-arrays (notillustrated) form another antenna beam that is orthogonal to antennabeam 660 for receiving HP Internet data, for example.

To correct the polarization based on the attitude of the aircraft 120,the combined VP Internet data output from Internet combiner 781(a) andthe combined HP Internet data output from Internet combiner 781(b) areprovided to a polarization correction module 801. The polarizationcorrection module 801 is similar to the polarization correction module800 for the television programming.

A polarization correction module 802 is also used when transmitting fromthe phased array antenna 635 to the FSS satellite 230. One output of thepolarization correction module 802 is provided as input to the Internetsplitter 782(a), and the other output is provided as input to theInternet splitter 783(b). On the transmit side, the Internet splitters782(a), 782(b) split the signal to be transmitted for requesting theInternet data, whereas on the receive side, the Internet combiners781(a), 781(b) combined the received Internet data.

For the multi-beam phased array antenna 635 to receive televisionprogramming from the OBS satellite 220 and Internet data from the FSSsatellite 230, the antenna beams for the composite satellite TV signaland the composite satellite Internet signal are thus different. Themulti-beam phased array antenna 635 and the control circuitry 640simultaneously generate the dual antenna beams 650 and 660, with eachantenna beam having a respective antenna beam boresight. When orthogonalpolarization is taken into account, four antenna beams may besimultaneously generated, with each antenna beam having a respectiveantenna beam boresight.

The antenna beam shaping elements introduce a phase and/or amplitudeshift. The phase shift may be introduced by dedicated phase shifters789, 790 for the signal paths 770, 771 and 773. The phase shifts may befixed or adjustable. Alternatively, the phase shifts may be providedbased on the delay introduced by the length of the signal paths 770, 771and 773 so that the illustrated discrete phase shifters 789 and 790 maybe representative of the phase shift created by the RF signal traces.Similarly, the amplitude shift may be introduced by dedicated amplitudeweights for the signal paths 770, 771 and 773.

In one embodiment, the phased array antenna 635 includes a substrate 680and a plurality of antenna elements 682 thereon, as illustrated in FIG.20. The phased array antenna 635 is not limited to this particularembodiment. Other embodiments include waveguides or dipoles, forexample.

In yet another embodiment of the phased array antenna 635′, the antennareceives at two different frequencies as will now be discussed inreference to FIGS. 21 and 22. As a result, the splitters 760 are notrequired. In one embodiment, the antenna elements 782(1)′ and 782(2)′are different sizes. A first plurality of antenna elements 782 (1)′ issized to operate at a first frequency, and a second plurality of antennaelements 782 (2)′ is sized to operate at a second frequency differentfrom the first frequency.

The first plurality of antenna elements 782(1)′ support the Ku frequencyband, whereas the second plurality of antenna elements 782 (2)′ supportthe Ka frequency band, for example. The different sized antenna elements782(1)′, 782 (2)′ may be interspersed with one another. As noted above,signal splitters are not needed. The remaining control circuitry 640′ isthe same.

The frequency of the satellite TV signals received by the multi-beamphased array antenna 635 is within a frequency range of 10.7-12.75 GHzor 20-30 GHz for the DES satellite 220. The frequency range of thesatellite Internet signals can be between 4-6 GHz, 11-14 GHz and 20-30GHz for the FSS satellite 230. The illustrated phased array antenna 635is configured to operate within the 10.7-18 GHz, which corresponds tothe Ku band. The Ku band supports both reception of the satellite TVsignals and the satellite Internet signals (when the satellite Internetsignals are within the 11-14 GHz range).

As an alternative to electrically steering a phased array antenna, amechanically steered antenna may be used. The mechanically steeredantenna may be a phased array antenna as discussed above or may be aparabolic antenna, for example. Referring now to FIGS. 23 and 24, adual-beam satellite antenna 835 includes a first aperture 837 forreceiving the television programming, and a second aperture 839 adjacentthe first aperture for receiving the Internet data.

A side view of the two apertures 837, 839 is provided in FIG. 23, and atop view of the two apertures is provided in FIG. 24. Although notshown, both of the apertures 837, 839 fit under the same radome 637. Byhaving two separate apertures 837 and 839, the same or differentfrequencies can be supported and with different antenna beam pointingdirections.

A first positioner 847 is coupled to the first aperture 837 to positiontoward the DES satellite 220, for example. A second positioner 849 iscoupled to the second aperture 839 to position toward the FSS satellite230, for example. Each aperture 837, 839 thus has its own positioner847, 849. A controller 850 is coupled to the positioners 847, 849 forcontrol thereof. The controller 850 may operate as discussed above forcontroller 142, 142′ for tracking position of the satellites 220, 230 aswill be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The controller 850 may operate as discussed above for controller 142,142′ for tracking position of the satellites 220 and 230, as will bereadily appreciated by those skilled in the art. In other embodiments,the tracking may be based on position of the aircraft versus theposition of the satellites 220 and 230. The tracking may be an open looppointing system based on GPS and/or inertial rate sensors, for example.

As an alternative to each aperture 837′, 839′ having its own positioner,a common positioner 848′ may be used, as illustrated in FIG. 25. Thefirst and second apertures 837′, 839′ have a fixed or variable antennabeam offset (electrical or mechanical) between their respective antennabeams. In one embodiment, the common positioner 838′ is used to positionthe first aperture 837′ so the antenna boresight associated therewith ispointed toward the DBS satellite 220, and an offset controller 850′ isused to adjust the boresight of the second aperture 839′ associatedtherewith so that it is pointed at the FSS satellite 230.

The offset controller 850′ may be configured to operate as a positioner.In other embodiments, the offset controller 850′ may vary the antennabeam shaping elements (i.e., phase shifters and/or amplitude weights)when the apertures are configured as phased array antennas.Alternatively, the offset controller 850′ may adjust the position ofjust one of the apertures with respect to the other aperture forobtaining the desired offset so that when common positioner 838′ isoperated, the antenna beam offset between the two apertures ismaintained.

In yet another embodiment, the common positioner 838′ points therespective antenna boresights associated with the first and secondapertures 837′, 839′ so that both boresights are between the DBS and FSSsatellites 220, 230. The offset controller 850′ may then offset theantenna beams by half.

As with the phased array antennas 635 and 635′, different orthogonalpolarizations may be supported by the first and second apertures 837/839and 837′/839′. Consequently, polarization correction would be requiredto compensate for the attitude of the aircraft 120, as discussed abovefor the polarization correction modules 800, 801 and 803.

As noted above, the satellite TV signals provided by the DES satellite220 are within a frequency range of 10.7-12.75 GHz or 20-30 GHz.Consequently, aperture 837, 837′ supports the Ku or Ka bands, whichincludes this frequency range. The other aperture 839, 839′ may beconfigured to support at least a portion of the frequency range within10.7-30 GHz. This also corresponds to the Ku or Ka bands. Alternatively,both of the apertures 837/839 or 837′/839′ may operate in the samefrequency range, such as the Ku band or Ka band, or one could operate inthe Ku band whereas as the other one operates in the Ka band.

For the aperture 839, 839′ supporting the satellite Internet signals,the aperture may be used as an Internet forward channel. For theInternet reverse channel, a satellite channel may be used or anair-to-ground link from the aircraft 120 to the ground may be providedby an air-to-ground communications network 100, as discussed above. Suchan air-to-ground communications network 100 may comprise at least onepersonal electronic device (FED) 130 to be operated on the aircraft 120.There is at least one access point 160 in the cabin of the aircraft 120for providing a local area network for communicating with the FED. Theair-to-ground transceiver 152 may be in the aircraft 120 and may becoupled to the at least one access point 160 for interfacing between theFED and the air-to-ground interface 200.

Spaced apart ground-based base stations 140 may be used forcommunicating with the aircraft air-to-ground transceiver 152 over theair-to-ground interface 200. The request for an Internet page (i.e.,Internet reverse channel) by the PED 130 operating in the aircraft 120is transmitted to the ground over the air-to-ground interface 200. Therequest provided by the PED 130 is often referred to as the return link.The information from the FSS satellite 230 to the aircraft 120 is oftenreferred to as the forward link.

The air-to-ground interface 200 is a narrow band interface, which isacceptable for making the Internet return or reverse link traffic sincethis request is typically a narrower band than the forward link. Incontrast, the satellite link 252 is a wide band interface, which isideal for providing requested web pages that are typically wide banddata.

As noted above, the air-to-ground interface 200 is used to communicatewith the ground-based base stations 140. Each base station 140interfaces with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 141 and/oran Internet service provider (ISP) 142 through a switch 143 forproviding data services that could include email and text messagingservices. In this configuration, the web pages requested by a passengerwould be performed using their PED 130 that communicates over theair-to-ground interface 200. The message on the ground would then berouted to an appropriate ground based transmitter 145 (separate from theground based base stations) for transmitting the request to the FSSsatellite 230. The FSS satellite 230 then transmits the web pages to theaircraft 120 over a satellite link 252 upon receiving the data from theground.

Any of the above described embodiments for the antenna system can alsobe combined with a low gain switchable L-band antenna for L-bandsatellite connectivity service, with Iridium satellite communicationsbeing an example. The aircraft L-band antenna may be included in thesame radome used for the satellite TV and Internet apertures asdiscussed above. For example, the L-band antenna may communicate via asatellite, or separate L-band antennas may be on the lower half of theaircraft for direct air-to-ground communications.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come tothe mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachingspresented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Inaddition, other features relating to the aircraft communications systemare disclosed in copending patent application filed on Oct. 15, 2008assigned U.S. Ser. No. 12/252,296 and assigned to the assignee of thepresent invention and is entitled AIRCRAFT IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENTSYSTEM HAVING A MULTI-BEAM PHASED ARRAY ANTENNA AND ASSOCIATED METHODS,the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety byreference. Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to belimited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modificationsand embodiments are intended to be included as readily appreciated bythose skilled in the art.

1-38. (canceled)
 39. An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IEE) system for an aircraft and comprising: a dual-beam satellite antenna and first and second positioners coupled thereto to be carried by the aircraft, said dual-beam satellite antenna and comprising a first aperture to be positioned by said first positioner and configured to operate within a Ku frequency band for receiving television programming, and a second aperture to be positioned by said second positioner and adjacent said first aperture and configured to operate within a Ka frequency band for receiving Internet data; a television programming distribution system to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to said dual-beam satellite antenna to provide television programming within the aircraft; and at least one access point to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to said dual-beam satellite antenna to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) within the aircraft for the Internet data.
 40. The IFE system according to claim 39 wherein at least one of said first and second apertures comprise a phased array.
 41. The IFE system according to claim 39 further comprising a controller coupled to said first and second positioners.
 42. The IFE system according to claim 39 wherein each antenna beam has a respective antenna beam boresight.
 43. The IFE system according to claim 39 wherein said dual-beam satellite antenna is configured to transmit to the satellite providing the Internet data.
 44. The IFE system according to claim 39 wherein said first and second apertures each have different polarizations associated therewith; and further comprising at least one polarization correction module to adjust at least one of the polarizations based upon aircraft position.
 45. The IFE system according to claim 39 wherein said first aperture provides orthogonal polarizations toward one of the satellites and said second aperture provides orthogonal polarizations toward the other satellite; and further comprising: a first polarization correction module associated with said first aperture for adjusting the corresponding polarizations based upon aircraft position; and a second polarization correction module associated with said second aperture for adjusting the corresponding polarizations based upon aircraft position.
 46. The IFE system according to claim 39 wherein said television programming distribution system comprises cabling extending throughout the aircraft; and at least one video display coupled to said cabling for displaying the television programming.
 47. The IFE system according to claim 39 wherein the at least one access point is to communicate with personal electronic devices (PEDs) within the aircraft.
 48. The IFE system according to claim 39 wherein said at least one access point comprises a Pico-cell.
 49. The IFE system according to claim 39 wherein the WLAN comprises at least one of an 802.11 WLAN and an 802.16 WLAN.
 50. An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for an aircraft and comprising: a dual-beam satellite antenna and first and second positioners coupled thereto to be carried by the aircraft, said dual-beam satellite antenna comprising a first aperture to be positioned by said first positioner and configured to operate within a Ka frequency band, and a second aperture to be positioned by said second positioner and adjacent said first aperture and configured to operate within a Ku frequency band.
 51. The IFE system according to claim 50 further comprising a radome to be carried by the aircraft for protecting said dual-beam satellite antenna and said first and second positioners.
 52. The IFE system according to claim 50 wherein at least one of said first and second apertures comprise a phased array.
 53. The IFE system according to claim 50 further comprising a controller coupled to said first and second positioners.
 54. The IFE system according to claim 50 wherein each antenna beam has a respective antenna beam boresight.
 55. The IFE system according to claim 50 wherein said first and second apertures each have different polarizations associated therewith; and further comprising at least one polarization correction module to adjust at least one of the polarizations based upon aircraft position.
 56. The IFE system according to claim 50 wherein said first aperture provides orthogonal polarizations toward one of the satellites and said second aperture provides orthogonal polarizations toward the other satellite; and further comprising: a first polarization correction module associated with said first aperture for adjusting the corresponding polarizations based upon aircraft position; and a second polarization correction module associated with said second aperture for adjusting the corresponding polarizations based upon aircraft position.
 57. An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for an aircraft and comprising: a dual-beam satellite antenna and first and second positioners coupled thereto to be carried by the aircraft, said dual-beam satellite antenna comprising a first aperture to be positioned by said first positioner and configured to operate within a first frequency band, and a second aperture to be positioned by said second positioner and adjacent said first aperture and configured to operate within a second frequency band.
 58. The IFE system according to claim 57 further comprising a radome to be carried by the aircraft for protecting said dual-beam satellite antenna and said first and second positioners.
 59. The IFE system according to claim 57 wherein the first and second frequency bands are non-overlapping.
 60. The IFE system according to claim 57 at least one of said first and second apertures comprise a phased array.
 61. The IFE system according to claim 57 further comprising a controller coupled to said first and second positioners.
 62. The IFE system according to claim 57 wherein each antenna beam has a respective antenna beam boresight.
 63. The IFE system according to claim 57 wherein said first and second apertures each have different polarizations associated therewith; and further comprising at least one polarization correction module to adjust at least one of the polarizations based upon aircraft position.
 64. The IFE system according to claim 57 wherein said first aperture provides orthogonal polarizations toward one of the satellites and said second aperture provides orthogonal polarizations toward the other satellite; and further comprising: a first polarization correction module associated with said first aperture for adjusting the corresponding polarizations based upon aircraft position; and a second polarization correction module associated with said second aperture for adjusting the corresponding polarizations based upon aircraft position.
 65. A method for operating an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for an aircraft and comprising a dual-beam satellite antenna, first and second positioners to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to the dual-band satellite antenna, the method comprising: controlling the first and second positioners so that the dual-beam satellite antenna simultaneously generates first and second antenna beams, the dual-beam satellite antenna comprising a first aperture to be positioned by the first positioner and configured to operate within a first frequency band for receiving signals via the first antenna beam, and a second aperture to be positioned by the second positioner and adjacent the first aperture and configured to operate within a second frequency band for receiving signals via the second antenna beam.
 66. The method according to claim 65 further comprising a radome to be carried by the aircraft for protecting the dual-beam satellite antenna and the first and second positioners.
 67. The method according to claim 65 wherein the first and second frequency bands are non-overlapping.
 68. The method according to claim 65 wherein at least one of the first and second apertures comprise a phased array.
 69. The method according to claim 65 further comprising a controller coupled to the first and second positioners.
 70. The method according to claim 65 wherein each antenna beam has a respective antenna beam boresight.
 71. The method according to claim 65 wherein the first and second apertures each have different polarizations associated therewith; and further comprising at least one polarization correction module to adjust at least one of the polarizations based upon aircraft position.
 72. The method according to claim 65 wherein the first aperture provides orthogonal polarizations toward one of the satellites and the second aperture provides orthogonal polarizations toward the other satellite; and further comprising: a first polarization correction module associated with the first aperture for adjusting the corresponding polarizations based upon aircraft position; and a second polarization correction module associated with the second aperture for adjusting the corresponding polarizations based upon aircraft position. 